Carmichael Makes a Believer of McGrath

Thirteen consecutive times, Ricky Carmichael defeated perennial supercross champion Jeremy McGrath this year, decisively ending McGrath’s long domination of the stadium version of motocross.

So what did the 21-year-old newly crowned SX champion do after collecting $175,000 from SFX Motorsports Group and other contingency awards at last Sunday night’s awards banquet in Las Vegas? Fly home to Havana (Florida, that is) to celebrate with his family? Hang around Las Vegas and take in a few shows and spend some of his new wealth?

Not on your life.

On Tuesday, Carmichael was back on a training track near Corona, preparing to defend his title in the AMA national outdoor 250cc championship series, which begins Sunday in San Bernardino with a pair of 35-minute motos at Glen Helen Raceway Park.

“Winning races is contagious,” said the 5-foot-5, 150 pound Kawasaki rider. “The more you win, the more you want. The outdoors offer a different challenge, but I’ve always been a better outdoors rider so I’m looking forward to it.”

Just to make sure he’s ready, Carmichael started work last week--before he won his final supercross event at Las Vegas, tying two of McGrath’s most cherished records, victories in a season, 14, and consecutive victories, 13.

“You can’t let down,” he said. “I went riding with Johnny O [former national outdoor champion O’Mara] a couple of days to get myself oriented for Glen Helen.”

McGrath, a seven-time supercross champion and 1995 national outdoor titlist, will skip the outdoor season.

“There’s no use riding if your heart’s not in it,” he said of the national outdoor season. “If I rode, I’d probably do mediocre and then the [racing] media would get on me. It’s a double-edged sword. They get on me for not riding, or they get on me for not riding well.”

McGrath, 29, made no bones about stepping up the pace against Carmichael in next year’s supercross season.

“I flat out don’t like finishing second,” he said. “Ricky came on strong this year and after the first couple of races he caught me off guard. He really raised the bar for supercross.

“I felt I was riding as well as I ever did when I was winning everything. Look at how I finished. I was more than 40 points ahead of the next guy [Mike LaRocco]. If it weren’t for Ricky, I would have my eighth championship.

“The big difference was probably conditioning, so I’m going back to the drawing board for 2002. Last year, I didn’t get serious about training until November. This year I’m going to start right now. I’m going to work on extra conditioning, race about eight weekends in Europe in the fall and be ready for the season opener at Anaheim. I’ll have a new Yamaha and be rarin’ to go.”

As for the outdoor season, McGrath sees no one who can stop Carmichael’s bid for a repeat.

“Ricky’s got them covered, but the interesting battle will be for second through sixth,” McGrath said. “There are a lot of riders who are very good, except when they’re racing Ricky. I think the big surprise will be Ryan Hughes. He has a new Honda four-stroke and he’s been riding very well.”

Although Carmichael says hot and dusty Glen Helen is not his favorite outdoor track, he has been unbeatable on the hillside course, winning 125cc titles in 1997, ’98 and ‘99, and the top-of-the-class 250cc title last year.

When the 28-event season is over--16 supercross and 12 outdoor events--Carmichael’s take, including Kawasaki bonuses and endorsements, should reach $3 million.

Winston West

After showing their horsepower on the two-mile California Speedway oval two weeks ago, Winston West drivers will put their finesse on display Saturday night on Irwindale Speedway’s demanding half-mile track.

Defending series champion Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas, the winner at Fontana, will be favored to make it two in a row in the 125-mile Food 4 Less 250. Gaughan has not won a Winston West race in three tries at Irwindale, but he has been close and on the track’s opening night he scored his first oval track victory in a super late model stock car race.

He celebrated by doing a back-flip in the infield.

“I’m due, I’ve been close,” Gaughan said of the Saturday night feature. “I’ve been second, third and fifth in Winston West there. Now we want a win.”

Gaughan and 73-year-old Hershel McGriff, the 1986 series champion, are Chevrolet teammates on Bill McAnally’s Orleans Racing team.

If previous races this season are indicators, a new name will win the Irwindale show. Five races have produced five different winners, and points leader Austin Cameron of El Cajon is not among them. Cameron’s consistency has helped him finish in the top five in four of the five races.

Among the five winners are two rookies, Mark Reed of Bakersfield and second-generation driver Johnny Borneman of Ramona. Reed won at Las Vegas and sat on the pole at California Speedway but a 12th-place finish in the last race dropped him 16 points behind Cameron, 791-775.

Bobby Dotter, last year’s Irwindale winner and voted the Winston West’s most popular driver last season, will also be after his first 2001 win. Dotter, a former Chicago-area short-track specialist who now lives in Charlotte, N.C., won four races last year. Gaughan is next with 712, followed closely by Steve Portenga, 710, and Eric Norris, 702.

Besides Gaughan and McGriff, other former series champions entered include Bill Sedgwick of Acton, 1991 and ‘92, and Sean Woodside of Saugus, 1999.

When qualifying starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, drivers will be shooting at the 100.722 mph record set in June 1999 by Butch Gilliland of Chino Hills.

Indianapolis 500

How serious is Roger Penske about winning the 500?

His two drivers, Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves, after driving in a CART race Sunday at Nazareth, Pa., flew in one of Penske’s jets to Indianapolis--a 1 hour 17-minute flight--arriving in time to take a few laps on the opening day of 500 practice that same afternoon.

Pole qualifying is set for Saturday, second-day time trials Sunday, bump day May 20 and the race May 27.

Clarence Cagle, who supervised the rebuilding of Indianapolis Motor Speedway after Tony Hulman bought the track in 1945, will miss his first Indianapolis 500 since the end of World War II. Cagle, who will be 87 on July 29, suffered a stroke April 18 at his home in Ormand Beach, Fla., and has been advised not to make the trip to Indianapolis. Cagle also was instrumental in the building of Ontario Motor Speedway and since retiring in 1977 has worked as a consultant to a number of racetracks.

For the first time in its 85 years, the 2001 Indianapolis 500 will be paced by a woman. Fashion model Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, wife of rocker John Mellencamp, will drive an Oldsmobile Bravada, which will also be the first SUV to pace the 500. . . . Dick Simon, former driver turned car owner, continued his tradition of having the first car on the track as he hustled Stephan Gregoire onto the Speedway ahead of all the others Sunday.

Notes

Jay Drake, who equaled a United States Auto Club record of 19 main-event victories last year, has yet to win one this year. He will try for No. 1 in a midget race tonight at Kentucky Speedway. NASCAR star Tony Stewart, fresh from a victory last week at Richmond, Va., is also entered, since Winston Cup is taking a week off. In Stewart’s last 10 midget races, he has won five, among them last year’s Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale. . . . Bill Homeier, a native of Pasadena who drove in three Indianapolis 500s, died May 2 in Houston. He was 82. (See story, B15).

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This Week’s Races

INDY RACING LEAGUE

Indianapolis 500 Qualifying

When: Pole qualifying, Saturday (ABC, 10 a.m.)

Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (oval, 2.5 miles, 9-degree banking in turns), Indianapolis.

Last race: Greg Ray led 184 of 200 laps to win the zMax 500 and deny Sam Hornish’s bid for a record-tying third consecutive IRL victory.

2000 pole winner: Ray.

Next race: Indianapolis 500, May 27, Indianapolis.

On the net: https://www.indyracingleague.com.

BUSCH

CVS Pharmacy 200

When: Today, qualifying, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, race (FX, 10 a.m.)

Where: New Hampshire International Speedway (oval, 1.058 miles, 12-degree banking in turns), Loudon, N.H.

Race distance: 211.6 miles, 200 laps.

Last race: Jimmy Spencer pulled away on a restart with 19 laps to go to win the Hardee’s 250 at Richmond, Va.

2000 winner: Tim Fedewa.

Next race: Nazareth 200, May 20, Nazareth, Pa.

On the net: https://www.nascar.com.

CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

Darlington 200

When: Today, qualifying, 11 a.m.; Saturday, race (ESPN, 1 p.m.)

Where: Darlington Raceway (oval, 1.366 miles, 25-degree banking in Turns 1-2, 23 degrees in Turns 3-4), Darlington, S.C.

Race distance: 200.82 miles, 147 laps.

Last race: Ted Musgrave won the Ram Tough 200, leading 140 of the 160 laps around the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway at Madison, Ill.2000 winner: Inaugural race.

Next race: Jelly Belly 200, May 20, Fountain, Colo.

On the net: https://www.nascar.com.

FORMULA ONE

Austrian Grand Prix

When: Saturday, qualifying (Speedvision, 4 a.m.); Sunday, race (Speedvision, 4:30 a.m.)

Where: A1-Ring (road course, 2.688 miles), Spielberg, Austria.

Race distance: 190.848 miles, 71 laps.

Last race: Michael Schumacher won the Spanish Grand Prix after Mika Hakkinen broke down on the final lap.

2000 winner: Hakkinen.

Next race: Monaco Grand Prix, May 27, Monte Carlo.

On the net: https://www.formula1.com.